Ocasio-Cortez, Sanders Introduce A New Version Of Their Green New Deal

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders rolled out another version of the Green New Deal as both lawmakers gear up for the 2020 election.

The new version calls for a $180 billion investment to retrofit public housing to eliminate all carbon emissions, The Hill reported Thursday. The housing units would use solar panels and other green energy resources to meet those goals.

“This bill shows that we can address our climate and affordable housing crises by making public housing a model of efficiency, sustainability and resiliency,” Sanders said in a statement. He is running for president amid a crowded Democratic field.

Ocasio-Cortez, a freshman Democrat from New York, said the proposal goes a long way toward creating green energy jobs. They will introduce the proposal Thursday afternoon, the report notes.

“The Green New Deal for Public Housing Act will train and mobilize the workforce to decarbonize the public housing stock and improve the quality of life for all residents,” she said in the statement. Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, co-founder of the original GND, is endorsing the proposal.

Republican lawmakers and conservatives criticized the GND after its introduction in February.

“A six-page, non-binding resolution marketed as a ‘War Plan’ proves Congressman Cortez isn’t prepared and hasn’t done her homework,” Dan Kish, a senior fellow at the Institute for Energy Research, told The Daily Caller News Foundation in February.

Senate Democrats did not support of the GND in March when Republicans forced a vote. Not even Markey, who introduced the Senate version of the Green New Deal, voted for it.